Close to 150 transport business owners, managers, administrators, and specialist consultants attended the inaugural Freight2020 Australia and New Zealand user group conference in March 2017. The enthusiastic response from participants confirmed the arrival of Freight2020 VISION as a major annual transport industry technology event.

Richers Transport, headquartered in Maryborough, Queensland, sent a team of four delegates including Matthew Richers [above] to the inaugural Freight2020 VISION conference in Melbourne

“This has been a great day,” said Sydney-based Allan Thornley, managing director of Shaw’s Darwin Transport, during the lunch break at Freight2020 VISION. Shaw’s are the market-leading freight carriers operating in and out of Darwin and were long-term users of a competitive transport management system until switching to Freight2020. “It’s enlightened us to some of the greater aspects of the [Freight2020] system and taught us a few things we didn’t know.”

Matthew Richers of Richers Transport, Maryborough-headquartered eastern seaboard carriers with more than 200 employees, said, “There are four of us from the company here today and I guess the most exciting thing for us is reconfirming Freight2020 as the right fit for our business. We use Freight2020 in its entire capacity throughout our operations, repairs and maintenance workshop, accounts… It’s been good for myself and the rest of our team to look at Freight2020 Mobility, which we’re implementing in the coming months, as well as the business analytics [Freight2020 BI360 real-time business analytics dashboard], which will be really great for our financial team and director.”

Peter Evenden, managing director of Prospect Refrigerated Transport, the Sydney-based company which carries temperature-sensitive freight for some of Australia’s iconic grocery brands said, “I’m down here in Melbourne having a great time and learning lots.”

Another Sydney-based delegate was Emerson Pierce from John L Pierce Transport (“JLP”), the bulk tanker specialists with 150 trucks and more than 330 employees. “It’s been a very interesting day, learned a lot,” said Emerson. “We’ve taken away a fair bit, so really happy to be here.”

“This is a very exciting time for us”

Siobhan Clifford was one of the delegates representing Mount Noorat Freighters at Freight2020 VISION 2017

Siobhan Clifford, one of a team representing the Victorian-based bulk haulage specialists Mount Noorat Freighters at VISION said, “We’ve had a great day today at the first Freight2020 conference. We’re looking forward to using Freight2020 Mobility in the near future.”

With Freight2020 now one of the fastest-growing Progress OpenEdge-based ERP solutions in the APJ (Australia, Pacific, Japan) region, many delegates attending VISION on behalf of their respective companies were relatively new to the system. Mark Battersby of PK Logistics said, “We are just about to go live with Freight2020 so this is a very exciting time for us. It gives us lots of new opportunities to explore with compliance and safety, possibly mobility, and also our warehouse and transport is going to be integrated, which is very important for us.”

More than 130 transport and logistics companies based in Australia and New Zealand are now using Freight2020 to drive their businesses more efficiently and competitively, a good number of these being represented by delegates making the journey to attend Freight2020 VISION 2017.

Peter Evenden, Emerson Pierce, Allan Thornley, Matthew Richers, Siobhan Clifford, and Mark Battersby were interviewed at Freight2020 VISION for the 2-minute “Freight2020 VISION 2017 Delegate Reviews” video which is now available for viewing on YouTube.

The post Delegates declare the inaugural Freight2020 VISION user group conference “a great day” [video] appeared first on Freight2020 TMS.

Mark Armstrong of Progress, newly appointed as the vice-president and managing director of international operations for the APJ region, in addition to EMEA, wowed delegates at the Freight2020 VISION 2017 AU/NZ user group conference in Melbourne by contextualising the impact of revolutionary developments in technology for the Australian road freight transport industry.

Mark Armstrong, Vice President and Managing Director International, (EMEA & APJ), Progress

Introduced by Rob Mullins, managing director of CMS Transport Systems, who spoke of the long-established partnership between CMS and Progress as the global giant behind Freight2020’s OpenEdge development environment, the charismatic and articulate Mark Armstrong soon filled the room with a sense of excitement as the future of everyday technology in the transport industry was revealed through Mark’s presentation.

Concepts like artificial intelligence are no longer far-fetched with technology developing at an ever-increasing rate. The explosion of user interactivity with billions of smart devices being used around the world, massive increases in computing power and the amount of data being generated, rapidly-escalating cloud adoption, digital automation, connectivity, and the dawning reality of what is now called the “Internet of Things” (IoT) – such was the mind-stretching sweep of topics that were explained and put into day-to-day business context for the owners and managers of transport and logistics businesses in Australia and New Zealand who were present at VISION.

Progress is known as a breakthrough technology company and with the recent acquisition of DataRPM, which focuses on predictive maintenance solutions for the industrial IoT, Progress has added to its technology arsenal the capability to apply “machine learning” – delivering improved prediction quality and accuracy in significantly less time.

Example: moving beyond preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance

“CMS Transport Systems will be able to apply this technology to the growing amount of data collected by sensors so their customers can move beyond preventive maintenance to predictive maintenance. That involves using machine learning to reveal early signs of impending failure so repairs can be made before a breakdown,” said Mark during a recent interview with Stephen Withers for an article published in ITWire magazine.

“In the transport industry, that can make the difference between replacing a part before a vehicle sets out on a long trip, and a breakdown on the road, which makes on-time delivery less likely, and in some cases can result in the loss of a perishable load,” Mark told ITWire.

Strength of partnership between CMS Transport Systems and Progress

While Freight2020 VISION conference delegates were absorbing the profound implications of SciFi-type advancements which would impact their businesses sooner rather than later, Rob Mullins reflected on the strength and longevity of the partnership between CMS Transport Systems and Progress.

“I couldn’t be happier with our original decision to partner with Progress by developing Freight2020 in Progress OpenEdge. Progress invests at the leading edge of technology on a global scale, which enables CMS to empower Freight2020 users with capabilities and efficiencies that only the very largest companies could previously afford. For smaller companies, such as the typical mid-sized transport business, Progress helps us to help them equalise the playing field and contend along with their larger competitors,” Rob said.

CLICK IMAGES TO ZOOM: sample slides from the presentation at Freight2020 VISION 2017 by Mark Armstrong, Progress

FREIGHT2020 FLEET MANAGEMENT

FREIGHT2020 BI360

Progress was the principal partner in the Freight2020 VISION 2017 event

The post Mark Armstrong of Progress explains how the IoT and predictive analytics will impact Australian trucking industry appeared first on Freight2020 TMS.

Examples of boldly branded vehicles in the Desired Transport fleet

Desired Transport was established in 2009 with just one truck and the stated passion for becoming a quality transport service provider. Today the company has offices in Perth and Brisbane, and a versatile fleet of prime movers, trailers, and rigid vehicles carrying containers, general freight and machinery between Perth, Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Desired Transport’s 24/7 service offerings include hot shots of general, oversize and dangerous goods loads to anywhere in Australia.

In the latter half of 2015, when Desired Transport started scanning the horizon for a new transport management system, Freight2020 TMS was chosen for evaluation on the strength of its Operations Management module for Container Freight, and the option of fully-integrated Driver Mobility.

“We delivered a live online demonstration of the Freight2020 system and mobile app to the executive team of Desired Transport. Less than two weeks later we were delighted when Desired Transport announced they would adopt our Operations Management system in the cloud, combined with our interactive mobile app for their drivers,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, Australian developers of Freight2020 transport software.

Signing coincided with launch of jump-start capability

Freight2020 Driver Mobility app for iOS and Android devices

At around the same time Desired Transport decided to move into Freight2020, CMS was preparing to launch the new Fast-Track Implementation Pathway for Freight2020 Container Freight Operations Management, enabling any new users of the popular container freight management software solution to get up-and-running with their new system much faster than would be expected for any other type of freight management configuration within Freight2020.

Desired Transport would become one of the first examples of CMS’ rapid roll-out proposition in action. It took just a few weeks for Desired Transport to be able to use their new Freight2020 system for managing every aspect of transport operations from quoting and freight booking through to invoicing, and their drivers were soon able to interact with live bookings data, including real-time job allocations and proof-of-delivery, using the Freight2020 mobile app on common mobile devices.

More container transport companies choosing Freight2020 TMS

A growing number of Australian transport and logistics companies with container transport as a big part of their operations are taking advantage of CMS’ new Fast-Track Implementation Pathway for container freight management by deploying Freight2020 Operations Management Container Freight.

Container Freight is one of seven specialised configurations of Freight2020 Operations Management along with Contract Logistics, Earthmoving, Energy Distribution, General Freight, Heavy Haulage, and Livestock Transport. Freight2020 Operations Management combines with all other Freight2020 management modules and interactivity options for a fully-integrated transport software solution.

Advanced features of Freight2020 Container Freight Operations Management

1-Stop Voyage and Vessel integration

Coupled with a live interface to 1-Stop Voyage and Vessel data, Freight2020 Container Freight Operations Management makes light work of the management of container collection and deliver locations; slot-time management; rating management; management of reefer and general container details; container stage alerts and reminders (de-hire, empty-collect, etc); interlinked journey legs; driver allocations; vehicle allocations; fees, levies, demurrage management; de-hiring; manifesting; invoicing, and much more. As a modular system, extended features and functions can be configured and implemented from the outset or added to your Freight2020 system at any stage down the track.

Freight2020 Driver Mobility can allow drivers to interact with live bookings data by using a common mobile device. Auto-Email Notifications can be configured to distribute proof of pickup, delivery and de-hiring automatically. The custom-branded Online Customer Portal can provide freight customers with real-time track-and-trace and detailed account information, and the Item-Level Tracking option allows the tracking of individual pallet-loads, cartons or items within container freight consignments.

Convenient live demonstrations available

Take an hour or two to evaluate Container Freight Operations Management and any other Freight2020 transport management system modules in your own office at a convenient time with an easy-to-do live demonstration over the web. Even real-time interactivity options like Freight2020 Driver Mobility can be demonstrated online via the screen-sharing of an app-loaded mobile device, or on your own mobile by downloading for the free Freight2020 Driver Mobility app for iOS or Android.

The post Rapid roll-out of Freight2020 Container Freight Operations Management for Desired Transport appeared first on Freight2020 TMS.

Always setting the pace of technology development for the management of road freight transport businesses, Freight2020 became one of the first transport management systems in the world to offer real-time driver interactivity with live freight bookings via a free mobile app with the release of Freight2020 Driver Mobility for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch in 2014.

Since then, Freight2020 Driver Mobility has been adopted by a large number of Australian trucking companies, starting with one of Victoria’s freight leaders, Asixa, the company which produced a corporate video on its instrumental role in the development and road-testing of the app, and the benefits of being able to do away with paper consignment notes and slow notification systems.

Free download from Google Play

CMS Transport Systems, the long-established Australian technology company behind the Freight2020 transport management system, recently released an Android version of Freight2020 Driver Mobility and this new app is now available as a free download from the Google Play store.

The features of Freight2020 Driver Mobility for Android are just as powerful and user-friendly as Freight2020 Driver Mobility for iOS app including driver shift logging and vehicle safety and condition checks, driver booking allocations, live interaction with pick-ups and deliveries, sign-on-glass proof of delivery, customised instant automatic email notifications and updating of online track-and-trace information, full integration with the Freight2020 transport management system, and much more.

You don’t need to be a current Freight2020 user to explore the power of Freight2020 Driver Mobility for free, as CMS offers an unlimited demo with trial data download and instructions for evaluation purposes. Simply complete a Freight2020 Driver Mobility test-drive request for instructions on how to download and unlock the trial data, or book a free personalised demonstration.

The post Release of Freight2020 Driver Mobility app for Android devices appeared first on Freight2020 TMS.

 
A growing number of Australian transport and logistics organisations are taking a more proactive approach to the management of driver fatigue through the deployment of Electronic Work Diaries (EWDs) to augment the paper-based work diaries currently needed to comply with safety legislation.

New Sentinel EWD fatigue management system

Transtech, one of the most experienced Australian developers of fatigue management systems, recently released a new version of their Sentinel EWD for real-time online and offline driver fatigue management. Sentinel uses the iFace, a 7″ in-vehicle touchscreen device, for mobile interactivity.

“With Sentinel on iFace, the driver simply presses an on-screen button to start or stop their work and rest periods. Sentinel does all the calculations and keeps the driver aware of their fatigue status within their individual rule-set, even when journeys are outside of the cellular network,” said Paul Weiss, Business Development Manager of Transtech. “Real-time processing delivers back-office insights into fatigue information, advanced alerting, reports with visual aids, and historic feedback.”

“Transtech and CMS have worked together collaboratively on integrated and complementary solutions for a number of major transport companies,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, developers of the Freight2020 transport management system.

“Any Australian transport company with a heavy-vehicle fatigue management system already in place should be commended for showing commitment to improving worker safety and reducing the road toll,” Grant said.

* Estimate deduced from fatigue-related road accident and crash fatality statistics quoted by the Traffic Accident Commission of Victoria and Australian Transport Safety Bureau.

The post Guarding against fatigue with new Sentinel EWD appeared first on Freight2020 TMS.

The Freight2020 Mobile App is quickly accessible and easily utilised by drivers from any location on the road, or on-site with any freight customer, using any iPhone or iPad device, and soon also Android devices.

No need for specialised SOG hardware

“Until now, for a freight company to offer real-time electronic proof-of-delivery, each driver would need to carry a specialised device. The cost of this dedicated mobility hardware is prohibitive for many smaller organisations, and so with the competitive offer of sign-on-glass capabilities there were haves, and have-nots, with a wide gap in between,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems.

“By building on the touchscreen and location-finding capabilities of common mobile devices, CMS was able to develop an app that will capture and transmit the receiver’s on-screen signature for real-time proof-of-delivery, and handle many more live interactions between drivers and bookings, payroll, fleet maintenance, and the customer. The app is extremely sophisticated yet also very fast and easy to use.”

Whilst the delivery of affordable SOG is headlining the launch of the new Freight2020 Mobile App, the app is also allowing drivers to interact with live bookings data, and helping to manage the administration of drivers and vehicles over the entire shift – from the driver’s login for start of duty hours and completion of compulsory vehicle safety and operational performance checklists, to their logout at each shift-end.

Real-time logging of driver duty hours and vehicle condition reports

“Getting started with the Freight2020 Mobile App is quick and easy,” Grant Walmsley continued. “We designed the user interface with the driver’s convenience in mind. The app is so simple and efficient to use that it only takes one second for any driver to login for the start of their shift. The driver’s live login details are integrated to human resources and operations management within Freight2020, so the system is instantly updated to show that the driver has started duty hours from a specific location.”

“The app then requires the driver to complete a vehicle fault and safety checklist before setting out on their journey. We made this procedure very fast and user-friendly for the drivers too. Details of any fault can be reported in notes, and any photographs are uploaded easily. This information is integrated to fleet maintenance management within Freight2020, so that workshop scheduling and budgeting for repairs or parts can be done in the first instance. Where vehicle safety or performance could become at risk, issues can be addressed before they become serious or even more costly,” Grant said.

Interaction with bookings including track-and-trace, sign-on-glass and automatic POD notifications

Once the driver has completed the Freight2020 Mobile App’s shift-start requirements, live booking data is available to the driver on-screen, with options for viewing all manifests for the current shift, the current week, or all-time. One touch of any manifest heading opens the detailed freight booking screen, where all of the up-to-the-minute information about each booking is available to the driver.

The driver can interact with the Freight2020 system booking data in real-time via pickup and delivery routines which include capturing proof-of-delivery with a signature written on the screen, just as with the more costly specialised hardware for sign-on-glass. POD evidence is then available throughout the Freight2020 system, from where notifications to freight customers can be distributed automatically.

Updates to track-and-trace information are made available in real-time for instant online viewing by freight customers. Advanced features such as real-time driver location tracking, and location maps for the driver, are managed transparently by the Freight2020 Mobile App working with the drivers’ mobile device.

“Each driver logs out of the Freight2020 Mobile App at the end of their shift, and end-of-shift details are made instantly available throughout the Freight2020 system, for operations management and payroll calculations,” Grant continued. “Between the core Freight2020 transport management system and the Freight2020 mobile app, CMS has provided a complete end-to-end solution for freight services delivery, operations management, administration and customer service. And as the Freight2020 Mobile App is free to download, with no specialised hardware required, implementation is extremely cost-effective,” Grant said.

Free download and easy implementation

The Freight2020 Mobile App is available as a free download from iTunes. Anyone with an iPhone or iPad can explore the Freight2020 Mobile App’s features and functions using the “Trial Driver” setting and its pre-installed demo data to simulate interactions with checklists and bookings from the driver’s perspective. An Android version of the Freight2020 Mobile App is already being developed by CMS.

Organisations already using the Freight2020 transport management system can take full advantage of the Freight2020 Mobile App immediately, and if using sub-contractors, they can have sub-contractors download and use the Freight2020 Mobile App to cover the ‘last mile’ with onforwarding.

Always a place for dedicated mobility solutions in transport industry

“There will always be a place for dedicated mobility solutions in the road transport industry, specialised hardware and software, I believe. Driver fatigue management is just one area where at present only dedicated devices and software can offer the highest degree of control. The Freight2020 Mobile App is not designed to compete with these systems as such, but to extend many of the advantages gained by using mobility solutions to smaller organisations, for little or no investment in hardware. Our app is helping to bridge this need.”

CMS credits their long-standing Freight2020 customer Asixa with inspiring the development of the Freight2020 Mobile App, and partnering in the development process including live on-the-road testing within their fleet over the period leading up to the release of the finalised app technology. “Asixa is a forward-thinking organisation and their commitment to excellence in freight services was of immense assistance in focusing and driving the development of the Freight2020 Mobile App by CMS,” said Grant.

For more information about the Freight2020 Mobile App for the Freight2020 transport management system, call Freight2020 representative Peter Romana on 03 9018 7080 (direct) or email info@transportsystems.com.au.

The post New Freight2020 Mobile App – the affordable sign-on-glass solution appeared first on Freight2020 TMS.

Asixa, long-time users of the Freight2020 transport management system, was one of many carriers in their size-category to have been deterred from advancing into sign-on-glass (SOG) for electronic proof-of-delivery (POD), as offered by larger operators, because of the cost of specialised hardware.

“Freight2020 readily combines with any third-party mobility solution, and CMS often partners with mobility specialists for the provision of end-to-end systems – Freight2020 serving as the master solution. Yet many Freight2020 users with smaller-sized fleets would report that the investment needed to obtain specialised mobile devices – even with leasing or bundled pay-as-you-go schemes – was something they couldn’t absorb across the relative scale of their operations,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems, Australian developers of Freight2020.

Asixa challenges CMS research and development

“Asixa expressed these same findings following evaluation of available hardware-based mobility systems. Yet rather than accepting limitation as the status quo, Asixa persisted in the expectation that CMS would be able to develop a mobile integration for Freight2020 that could provide sign-on-glass and other key capabilities without need for dedicated hardware. It so happened that CMS was entering into mobile app development about two years ago, when Asixa first challenged the CMS research and development unit to produce an affordable mobility solution for Freight2020,” Grant said.

Starting with commonly available mobile devices

“It was logical to start with commonly available hardware – smartphones and tablets – using their native touch-screen and locational capabilities as leverage. However, it was a long road between the dawn of this realisation and the launch of a fully-integrated sign-on-glass app that would work on all common devices. It would not have been possible for CMS to build an app to fit the needs of most small to medium-sized freight business operators, and benefit their drivers and customers, without a switched-on carrier like Asixa partnering with CMS in the commitment of time and effort needed to progress through the stages of specification, development, road-testing, and integration-testing with the core Freight2020 system. The contributions made by Asixa, in the first place encouraging CMS to rise to the challenge in development, then as partners in the process of development to release, have been vital to the successful release of the Freight2020 Mobile App by CMS,” said Grant.

New Freight2020 Mobile App released thanks to joint effort

Now, thanks to the joint efforts of both CMS and Asixa, virtually any small to mid-sized freight operator in Australia can become more competitive and efficient in their respective markets by offering advanced mobility features like sign-on-glass, real-time interactivity with freight bookings, and automatic POD notifications to customers, through use of the free Freight2020 Mobile App.

Justifiably proud of Asixa’s role in the development of the Freight2020 Mobile App, Asixa chief executive Simone Turner said, “Customer service is one area we’ve really cultivated at Asixa, and I believe freight providers can’t continue to improve their customer service if they’re not investing in digital technology. This new software will deliver a service that only large logistics companies with significant budgets for tracking software and specialist hand-held devices could deliver in the past.”

Asixa have also produced their own video about their key role in instigating and working towards the successful development of the Freight2020 Mobile App.

For more information about the Freight2020 Mobile App, contact Peter Romana on 03 9018 7080 (direct) or email info@transportsystems.com.au.

The post Asixa drives development of affordable SOG with Freight2020 Driver Mobility appeared first on Freight2020 TMS.

“The technology and types of expertise involved in the development of transport management systems and mobility solutions are vastly different,” said Grant Walmsley, general manager of CMS Transport Systems. “No single provider can specialise in both fields, but one of Freight2020’s many strengths is our ability to integrate the system to any of the leading mobility solutions currently available.”

Mt Noorat Freighters was established in 1996 to deliver stockfeed, grain, fertiliser, and other bulk products throughout Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and southern Queensland. The company now runs a fleet of 20 Western Star and Kenworth trucks. Dissatisfaction with its former transport management technology provider led to its second-time-around evaluation of no less than 10 different providers against a very specific selection criteria.

“Mt Noorat Freighters wanted their new system to reduce the administrative workload for back-office staff, and help meet legal requirements regarding NHVAS compliance along with fatigue and speed management. They were also definite about wanting to work with experienced people who were dedicated to the transport industry, and had a strong cultural fit with their organisation,” Grant said. After a series of in-depth product evaluations, and assessing the potential of various technology-partner relationship combinations from those represented, Mt Noorat Freighters finally decided upon Freight2020 as its billing and operational ERP, with Transtech’s mobility offerings completing their requirement for round-the-clock, ‘everywhere’ control of their business.

Implementation of the new solution across administrative functions prompted Scott Guthrie, systems manager of Mt Noorat Freighters, to comment, “The administration side of the business has improved by 100%. The reporting capabilities we now have with Freight2020 are excellent too. For example, it’s now very easy for management to review profit and loss reports on each individual asset.” Of Freight2020 being coupled with Transtech’s in-cab system, Scott said, “Previously we were doing double the data entry, as drivers would compile their own information, and back-office staff would have to enter it into our systems. This no longer has to be done twice, and staff have more time to concentrate on what they are supposed to be working on,” said Scott.

Reported gains in administrative productivity and efficiency were just the start of whole-of-organisation improvements realised following implementation of Freight2020 with mobile integration. The chosen in-cab touchscreen devices allow drivers to receive their jobs and communicate with the office via on-screen messaging. Drivers can easily and quickly enter pre-trip checklists, declare vehicle mass, and view when their next rest break is required.  Back-office staff can track all vehicles and produce on-demand trip and driver efficiency reports. The real-time monitoring of speed and fatigue levels has resulted in fewer driver violations. Delivery performance has benefited immensely too. Jobs are dispatched directly from Freight2020 to the driver – and when the driver completes the job, all the accounting and billing information is transferred from the truck back into Freight2020.

“Mt Noorat Freighters is a relatively small yet successful company that continues its growth in a crowded market,” Grant said. “Their management team is to be congratulated for their diligence and foresight in selecting technology partners this time. Not only have they achieved real-time control over every aspect of their business, and gained efficiencies in billing and operational administration, they are definitely future-ready with the scalability and competitive edge to maintain the expansion of their market share.”

The post Mt Noorat Freighters reaches new heights with Freight2020 and integrated mobility solution appeared first on Freight2020 TMS.